NEWTON, Mass., June 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel site*, today launched Local Picks, a Facebook app that provides dining recommendations from locals and friends to discover and choose the best places to eat.

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Covering more than 850,000 restaurants worldwide, Local Picks draws from millions of diner reviews and opinions collected on TripAdvisor, highlighting contributions from locals and friends. Each restaurant has a detailed profile that includes a score from 1-5 on the Local Picks Index, a rating system that aims to bring neighborhood favorites and "hidden gem" eateries to the forefront, as deemed by real locals who know the area best.

Built on Facebook, Local Picks allows users to easily express opinions and get restaurant advice from people they know and trust. The app is integrated with Facebook's timeline so diners can share ratings, favorites, and themed lists, with friends.

Serving as a comprehensive resource for foodies, Local Picks also displays essential information including a restaurant's address, neighborhood, type of cuisine, phone number, website address, hours of operation, menus, and colorful photos.

"TripAdvisor is committed to improving the social travel planning experience and, whether you're looking for a restaurant in a foreign city or in your own backyard, Local Picks is an excellent resource for the inside scoop," says Adam Medros, vice president of global product for TripAdvisor. "The app leverages the Facebook Platform to uniquely combine friend advice with local insight, highlighting dining options from those that know the user and the area best."

Local Picks Features:

    --  "Foodies" FeedThe "Foodies" newsfeed keeps users informed of their
        Facebook friends' recommendations and real-time activity: where they've
        checked in, and what restaurants they've recently rated. Diners can also
        follow other foodies outside of their immediate Facebook network
        (well-known chefs, for example), which can serve as a regular source of
        dining inspiration.

    --  Local Picks IndexThe Local Picks Index ranks top restaurants worldwide
        with an emphasis on the reviews and opinions of locals. Users can browse
        the "Top Picks" tab to see a list of restaurants that have ranked high
        on the Local Picks Index.

    --  Favorites and Wish ListsBy clicking "want" or "fave," or adding to a
        custom list with the click of an icon, Local Picks users can quickly and
        easily keep track of restaurants they want to try and those they love.

    --  More Photos & Essential InformationTo create the most useful restaurant
        summary possible, Local Picks will complement content from TripAdvisor
        with photos and information from foursquare, Facebook Pages, and menus
        from Single Platform.

Local Picks is now available to Facebook users in English, and will be launched in multiple languages later this summer. To experience the app, please visit https://apps.facebook.com/localpicks.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor® is the world's largest travel site, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 50 million unique monthly visitors*, and over 60 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 30 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 19 other travel media brands, and together the sites attract more than 69 million unique monthly visitors**. TripAdvisor, Inc.'s travel media brands include www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.sniqueaway.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, www.whereivebeen.com, and www.kuxun.cn.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, Worldwide, January 2012

**Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Inc. and its subsidiaries, Worldwide, January 2012

©2012 TripAdvisor, Inc. All rights reserved.

Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.

SOURCE TripAdvisor

SOURCE: TripAdvisor